United Nations Mine Action Service

How Critical Mass used a physical space and iBeacon technology to bring awareness to the terror and human cost that comes from living with landmines every day.

Details

In their own words, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) organizes “a coordinated response to the problems of landmines and explosive remnants of war.” For UNMAS’s 2014 Land Mine Awareness Day, Critical Mass designed a multi-sensory digital installation at the New Museum in New York City. We built a custom iPhone app, paired with iBeacon technology, to initiate location-specific interactions. As visitors made their way through the exhibition and listened to educational information through their headphones, they triggered digital landmines hidden within the room’s virtual minefield, complete with a realistic-sounding explosion. This moving, visceral digital experience brought home an issue that affects as many as 10 people in 30 countries every day and encouraged users to donate and make a difference.